So I got back into Cats the Musical and dragged my fiance into it, which resulted in him gifting me this one of a kind, absolutely terrifying pillow of Munkustrap. The eyes follow you around the room.
Now don’t get me wrong, Munkustrap is one of my favorites and I think the makeup is beautiful, but this face... it has seen things.
There’s really no good place to put this where you aren’t feeling judged.
So naturally we take turns putting it places where the other least expects it and wait for the inevitable discovery.
Introducing our first writer: Fritz! She'll be writing something special for our zine, we're so excited to see what it's about! Please give her a huge welcome!
"Hi, I’m Fritz and I’ve been a fan of cats since it was first released on VHS. I mainly write and crochet stuff and own a terrifying Munkustrap pillow."
I wanted to get into embroidery last year and of course the first project that popped into my head was a massive one. So here's the masterpost for the Discworld jacket I'm currently working on. The plan is to have at least one motif for every book and cover the whole thing. Wish me luck.
This is a work in progress, so I'll update this post when I finish new stuff.
Feel free to suggest things that should be on there. I've still got a list I'm working through, but any ideas are appreciated. 😊❤
I've been working on Great A'Tuin on and off since July 2022. My rough estimates is that it took me 150 hours total. That's the low end btw. I think it was totally worth it, though! ❤
Made up a new Cats pattern and I’m so tickled with how tiny and cute they’ve turned out. Who knows if I’ll ever finish my quest to make the whole cast but at least I’m having a good time.
The main difference is that they’re smaller and actually have a mouth!
Here’s the parade to show off the progression from the first Misto I ever made to the most recent:
Really pleased with my progress over the years. Not that any are ugly but I am happy with the progression!
We are pleased to introduce both our next batch of these amazing creators who are taking part in our zine. Please welcome both our Writers and Print Artists!
Please give them your enormous support, thank you!
Hey look I’m still alive and kickin’ and obsessed with Pouncival
Nothing much has changed, thought I was taking a break from Cats but turns out I was just kidding myself. Still crocheting, still writing, and now I’m drawing?
Hi!! I was brought to this blog by @fleece-and-feltical-cats and I LOVE your crochet work! What do you use/how do you make them? I started considering doing sewing/crochet and I wanna look into both :)
Hi! Thank you so much for your question and compliment!
I'm about to go on a tangent about crochet so I want to start by saying that if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, I love talking about craft stuff.
This got kinda long so I'm putting it under the break:
Here are the materials I use to crochet the dolls:
Crochet hook: size 3mm (I got my first set from my mom but you can find these all over the place for a variety of prices, but I prefer the metal ones that are very affordable)
Yarn: Worsted weight, the brands I usually use are Red Heart Super Saver or Big Twist (cheap, comes in a ton of colors, and durable)
Row counter: I have a craft one but you can count using your phone or even write it down, it's to keep track of what rows you're on while you work.
Safety Eyes: I got mine from Amazon. The size of the project determines the size of the eyes, I generally use 9 or 10mm.
Yarn needle: These are plastic needles you can use to sew the projects together. Again, I got mine from Amazon but you can find them for cheap wherever crafts are sold.
Stitch marker: I use these to mark the start of my rows. I've used earrings, bobby pins, paperclips, and actual craft markers.
Embroidery thread: Sometimes I use this to embroider the faces on the cats.
Now on to the making! I've been crocheting for about five years so I have had a lot of time to practice and figure out how to make stuff. My advice is to start with the basic techniques. I started by making dishcloths and then practiced simple spheres until I felt comfortable enough to try my hand at Jellicles.
Here are the techniques I use to make the Jellicles:
Chain: The very start to just about any project. When I first started I just made one very long, long chain!
Magic Circle: This is how I start the spheres used to make the head, limbs and body. It's a tricky technique but is used in just about every plushie I've made.
Single Crochet: The basic stitch. I recommend you learn how to do this by making dishcloths, it'll help you practice your stitches and tension, as well as give you practice holding your yarn and using your hook.
Increase and Decrease: I make the shapes by increasing and decreasing the stitches in each row, which pulls and expands the shapes I'm making. Like 3D modeling but with yarn instead of clay.
Some good resources are Youtube, discord, or books (I learned from a book called The Happy Hooker and have joined a couple of discord servers centered around fiber crafts).
This is just the tip of the iceberg but if you have more questions feel free to ask!
Posting some of the commissions I made lately - this one is for the amazing @tumblepounce and these are Mimzy and Ukule, two wonderful dnd characters!🥺 You probably already know her, but definitely check @tumblepounce out, their work never fails to amaze me, seriously!!! Taking crocheting to the next level for real!
Thank you thank you thank you @nunsongici so much for the wonderful art! Commissioning Ici was a dream come true and I am ecstatic at the result! Especially since I left the prompt all up in the air, them eating ice cream was all Ici's idea. You captured the essence of these two rascals hanging out and I love it so.
I’m also open for plushie commissions! While the blog’s mostly for showcasing, I’m contractually obligated by me to expand the Max Jellicle Army. You’re welcome to message me here on Tumblr but since Tumblr’s messaging system can be hot garbage I would prefer a Discord message if possible. I’m h_alces#7679 on Discord.
I’m happy to do any OC characters, nonreplica designs, non-Broadway or West End designs, that sort of thing. The sky’s the limit.
Yaaaaaay Max! Love this person and these designs and if you’re looking for some super super cute plushies look no further! I commissioned Tecklenburg Carbucketty and an oc of mine and they turned out so perfect.
Well color me surprised it does! What a terrifically terrifying world we live in.
I'm going to have to tell Mr. tumblepounce, the original gifter of the Munkustrap Pillow, and witness him basking in the delight and glory of this thing becoming sentient and inspiring its own blog.
